‘Huge’ rise in solar farm planning refusals

There has been a “huge” rise in planning refusals for solar farms since the beginning of 2021, according to new research.

The analysis of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Renewable Energy Planning Database, carried out by planning consultancy Turley, found that 23 solar farm projects were refused permission across Great Britain between January 2021 and July 2022.

By contrast, only four projects were refused consent during the previous four years.

Turley’s analysis found that the solar farms refused planning permission, which included a “considerable number” of 49.9MW projects, could have generated 748MW of energy in total,

This would have provided sufficient electricity for 147,000 homes annually, saving customers a total of £100 million, Turley estimated.

The South West and East of England had the highest number of refusals for planning permission, with four projects turned down in each region. Wales, the West Midlands and Scotland had three refusals, while two planning applications were turned down apiece in the East Midlands, North East and South East.

The British Energy Security Strategy, published in April, set out ambitions of generating 70GW of energy from solar technology by 2035.

The strategy also stated the government would consult on amending planning rules to strengthen policy in favour of development on non-protected land, as well as supporting solar that is co-located with other functions such as agriculture and established energy infrastructure.

However Conservative party leadership contest frontrunner Liz Truss has pledged to crack down on new solar farms on agricultural land, reflecting strong opposition to such projects from backbench Tory MPs over the past year.

Emma Kelly, an associate director at Turley, said: “The significant uplift in planning permission refusal for solar farms goes entirely against the proposals laid out in the government’s British Energy Security Strategy. Solar power currently contributes 14GW of energy at present, so we have some way to go before reaching the 70GW target. If Liz Truss goes ahead with her plan, the British Energy Security Strategy will need to be rewritten.

“Biodiversity is certainly a factor we need to consider with solar farms whilst the ongoing rise of the cost of energy has shown just how important renewable energy generation is for the future of the UK. A growing trend of refusing planning permission for renewable energy projects that are designed to support energy security is a huge step backwards on our road to net zero.”